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Knack (Video Game)
Knack is an action platform video game published by Sony Computer Entertainment and developed by Japan Studio in cooperation with game designer Mark Cerny. It was officially announced by Cerny on February 20, 2013, during PlayStation Meeting 2013 in New York City. The game was released on November 5, 2013 in North America, on November 29, 2013 in Europe, and in Japan on February 22, 2014. Overview Knack is a scientific experiment created to stop the goblins in their war against the humans in this bright, animated third-person action platformer. Development and releases Knack was envisioned as the PlayStation 4 equivalent of a Crash Bandicoot title. Knack was the first PS4 game shown to the public. Sony Computer Entertainment decided to do this because they wanted to prove that the PS4's launch lineup did not exclusively consist of big-budget first-person shooters. Because of Knack's intentional similarities to the successful Crash Bandicoot series, Sony Computer Entertainment felt it would be a smart business decision to heavily market Knack as an essential PS4 title. However, some critics questioned this decision, mainly because of the fact that this business tactic has been employed by Sony before.6 To promote the launch of the game, Sony Computer Entertainment and Japan Studio released a free mobile game called Knack's Quest on November 6, 2013. The game is a tile-matching puzzle game for iOS and Android devices. The game allows connectivity with players' PlayStation Network accounts to unlock special Relics within the main game.7 Knack was released in China as Knack's Adventure at the PlayStation 4's launch on March 20, 2015. Gameplay Knack has the player switching between two forms; one small and one large. When small, Knack runs around rooms and areas, seemingly relying on stealth. When large, Knack crushes his enemies with might and melee combos. While the outside areas appear more like a traditional third-person open world, the inside areas take a 2D/3D limited perspective, single camera approach. During the game, Knack discovers that he has a skill (hence, knack) that allows him to incorporate ice, metal and other substances into his body, giving him new abilities from level to level. Sony describes the gameplay as "a little bit like Crash Bandicoot and Katamari Damacy, with a touch of God of War". Knack is essentially a large Relic which attracts many small Relics to itself to create a living organism. Knack varies in size; he can be the size of a human child when only a few Relics are incorporated around the big Relic, the size of a gorilla when a moderate amount of Relics are incorporated, or the size of small skyscrapers when a very large amount of Relics are used. Knack has different abilities for each of his states, even though the player primarily utilizes punching, jumping, and dodging abilities; a small Knack jumps higher, moves faster, and is weak, breaking in a small number of hits, while a large Knack can walk over enemies to defeat them, and pick up or break large objects, such as vehicles and buildings. Apart from the Relics, Knack can surround the large central Relic with ice, metal, wood, and other substances. Knack may use the energy absorbed from Sunstones to unleash powerful tornado attacks, shockwaves, and projectiles. Knack gains new abilities from level to level; for example, he can lift up and throw cars in his large form, and use specific objects involved in the story. Knack's voice also changes with his size; Knack's voice is nonexistent when in his smallest form, while in his largest form, his voice is deep, loud, and intimidating. Plot War has been brought against mankind by a resurgent species known as Goblins, led by Gundahar. A human doctor, who studied ancient relics from a long lost civilization for many years, finally found a way to bind them together and give them consciousness. The result was Knack, a creature with mysterious powers. For example, he can incorporate more relics into his body as he finds them, which allows him to transform from a three-foot tall creature into a gigantic wrecking machine. The doctor believes that Knack will be an invaluable asset in the war against the Goblins until it becomes clear that an even greater danger is posed by elements of the human community. Within this version of a futuristic society, humanity has progressed in technological advances by harvesting the energy from Relics, physical remnants of a long-lost civilization. Humans are reviled by the more-primitive Goblin species, who years ago had waged war upon them but ended up being driven from their cities and forced to live in the wilds. After a force of Goblins commandeering tanks overrun a fortified human outpost in the Highland Crags, the city of Newhaven holds an emergency meeting and organizes an expedition to learn how such weaponry was acquired. Ryder, an explorer, volunteers, joining Viktor, a billionaire industrialist, and his head of security, Katrina, backed by their force of security robots. Doctor Vargas demonstrates his newest creation, "Knack", an organism consisting of a number of Relics, with the ability to control his size. Knack, Vargas, and his assistant and Ryder's nephew, Lucas, consequently partake. The group traces the weapons to a goblin fortress, controlled by the chieftain, Morgack, who attacks them. Knack overwhelms his soldiers and defeats Morgack, who reveals that a goblin named Gundahar gave the weapons to him. Viktor double-crosses the others by kidnapping Lucas, compelling the doctor and Knack to follow, while Ryder continues to question Morgack. Gundahar later arrives, forcing Ryder to escape. Returning to his palace, Viktor unveils one of many giant relics in his possession to Vargas, Knack, and Lucas, which he intends to use to usher the world into a new technological revolution. The trio manages to flee Viktor and discover a map of Trogdo Mine that the relics had been unearthed from, illustrating a blocked door behind which contains even larger relics. At the mine, where Viktor's excavations have awoken ancient creatures known as Guardians, Knack fails to open the door. Viktor and Katrina corner them and order Knack shot, resulting in him falling down a shaft. Knack enters an ancient cavern where he is ejected by Guardians and lands in front of a castle owned by Viktor. At the same time, Vargas and Lucas are imprisoned in the castle. Vargas tells of his past love, Charlotte, whom he had met twenty years ago, the two bonding over their work. Whilst both underground, an earthquake had occurred and Charlotte fell into a chasm. Despite searching, Vargas could find no trace of her and later gave up. Ryder tracks and rescues Vargas and Lucas with the help of Knack, but Viktor and Katrina escape. A Goblin army led by Gundahar invades Ryder’s hometown to steal relics. Vargas, Ryder, and Lucas fashion relics containing trackers in order to find the Goblins' base of operations. Knack counters the assault, forcing Gundahar to leave. Tracking the goblins, they reach a factory manufacturing weapons. Vargas is met by an-alive Charlotte, who had been found by Gundahar in the cave and nursed back to health, and in return created the arms for him in order to combat rival goblin factions. Once achieved, Gundahar turned to attack human settlements, but Charlotte stopped production upon her discovery. Ashamed, she refuses to leave with Vargas. Knack destroys the factory’s weapon stores. He finds Gundahar, but the goblin flees and forces Charlotte to repair the armaments or else be cast out. Disturbed, Charlotte sends a message to Vargas, begging him to save her. In the Barren Wastes, following Ryder's prior discovery of it, the group enter a temple containing a mural of the door within Trogdo Mine; it depicts the key, which resides beneath Obelisk Mountain, but warns of danger beyond the door. Having secretly bugged Lucas, Viktor and Katrina leave for their destination. Inside Obelisk Mountain, the group is then caught by the two, but Knack blocks them off by causing a cave-in. Lucas prevents Knack from taking the key, reminding them of the warnings; they attempt to destroy it instead, but Katrina takes it using a mech, triggering a volcanic eruption. Knack fights Katrina and breaks the mech, where she inadvertently falls towards the lava. Believing her to be dead, Viktor prepares to leave with the key on his airship. Ryder sights Katrina, having landed on some floating rubble and stays behind in an attempt to save her. Vargas, Knack, and Lucas manage to board the airship. The three presume Ryder dead following an explosion in the mountain. Vargas receives Charlotte’s message and sets the airship to fly over Gundahar’s factory. Viktor, enraged at Katrina’s apparent demise, ejects them from the airship, though Knack saves Vargas and Lucas. They reunite with Charlotte at the factory and leave in her aircraft. Viktor succeeds in opening the door in Trogdo Mine, revealing an ancient chamber containing an orb, which disintegrates him. Immediately, the area and numerous Guardians emerge from out of the ground. Charlotte’s ship is damaged as they arrive, forcing them to land, and Knack leaves to confront the orb. It attaches itself to a nearby Guardian, which Knack battles, destroying the orb. The source eradicated, the expanse of stonework recedes back underground. A thanksgiving parade is held for them in Newhaven, where Knack, Vargas, and Lucas receive medals. As Vargas leads a eulogy for Ryder, Ryder is seen alive walking through a desert carrying Katrina in his arms as they head for the city. Soundtrack *How You Like Me Now (by Heavy) See Also *Characters in Knack *Knack 2 Category:Game Category:Content Category:Knack (Video Game)